


afterglow

by jotsuko



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 07:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7608913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jotsuko/pseuds/jotsuko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>he's walking funny</p>
            </blockquote>





	afterglow

**Author's Note:**

> "i want to write something about my son" *chooses this scene*. antyways here's my boy rhizz (heres a pic if u wanna see him... http://68.media.tumblr.com/033b319e7741ed296b6ba78b80412e18/tumblr_os4vq46n1M1tbpvb4o2_1280.png)
> 
> i didnt know How to rate this so if anyone thinks it should like....... so Up or Down Please For The Love Of God Tell Me
> 
> anyways, hope u like it!

Rhizz woke up late into the day, even with how early in the previous the Bull had propositioned him. The sun shone brightly on brown skin, warm enough that it would likely get uncomfortable if he laid there for even a few more minutes. Still he sat, keeping his eyes shut and willing the sun to pass over him so he could sleep a little longer. It didn’t work, and he remembered all the work he had yet to accomplish, and he quickly sat up so quickly he got whiplash. With a mumbled curse he gripped his head and looked around the room. It seemed he had been left alone.

He let out a puff of air. It was to be expected that his partner for the night had disappeared before he woke up. At least, he thought it was. Rhizz hadn’t had any, ah, prior experience of any sort with any sort of entanglements, emotional or physical, during his time in the Ostwick circle, so his knowledge was based largely on the somewhat scandalous number of romance novels they kept in the libraries. Sharing a bed overnight was for _lovers,_ he knew, at least for the most part. What he and the Bull were doing was just _fucking_ , a very specific _kind_ of fucking that Rhizz could barely believe he had agreed to, given his prudish tendencies, and the kind of fucking that did not need to be publicized for the entire inquisition’s common knowledge if he wanted to keep up his ‘unafraid and unperturbed leader’ persona. So, yes, he supposed it was best that Bull left before anyone had come into his bedroom bearing reports, probably eager to spread the fact that mercenary captain was fucking the Inquisitor.

Still, he was allowed to be at least a little upset that his bed was cold.

Actually, when he thought about it, it might not have even been _fucking_ , as in the present tense. It was wholly possible that the Iron Bull had intended the whole experience to be a one time thing to never be spoken of again, meaning that it would be more correct to say that they had _fucked._ Just because Bull had been sated didn’t mean that Rhizz himself had been. Even in his embarrassment he had enough sense of self to know he was going to want quite a few more sessions like that. The Bull might have ruined him for anything else.

He slid towards the edge of the bed until he could place his feet on the ground. Rhizz noted his state of undress and cleanliness. He noted that he had been placed in a new pair of smalls, the ones he had worn the night before having been ripped when they were removed, and he was scrubbed clean of any residual matter. He wasn’t surprised, knowing the parental nature Bull showed to his chargers would definitely translate into the bedroom in some way.

Rhizz started to stand, but fell back down with a gasp before he could completely straighten his knees. Bull had been surprisingly gentle the night before when he had learned that it was going to be Rhizz’s very first ‘experience’ (Rhizz was almost positive he had already known and had just wanted him to admit it out loud). And he had prepared him slowly, _tortuously slowly,_ even with Rhizz begging to the point of sobbing. Even after all that, it seemed there was no way to stop the pain from ever coming, but he knew it was lessened by the prep work he’d suffered through. It wasn’t as sharp as he thought it might be, more of a blunted pain concentrated in his lower back, but it was enough to cause discomfort. He had heard the best way to deal with these things was to walk it out, but at that moment the advice seemed like a _really_ bad idea, so he sat until he felt he could move without falling over and dressed himself.

Normally, Rhizz would greet his inner circle members in an order so that those who worked inside the main part of the fortress were the last he would see before heading to the war table. Instead, he had to walk-run to the war room for a meeting, to which he was already a half hour late. He apologized to his advisors profusely, ready to get to work, when Leliana interrupted with her own question.

“Inquisitor, I had meant to visit your quarters last night with a few reports, but Iron Bull intercepted me when I was outside your door. Would that have anything to do with your late arrival?”

Shit. “Yes, I wasn’t feeling all too well, ate something bad I think, and Bull caught on when I was in the tavern. He took me up and basically forced me to get to sleep. The medicine he gave me must have been pretty strong for me to have slept that long.” He had eaten something incredibly nasty that evening, it’s affect on him simply exaggerated a bit for the story he was telling. He prayed to Andraste herself that he’d interwoven the truth and tale enough that Leliana would find it believable.

Her face remained impassive. “As long as you are feeling better, Inquisitor.”

The rest of the meeting went without incident, save comments of concern from Cullen and Josephine about the Inquisitor seeming to favor one leg, which he quickly claimed was a product of odd sleeping that night. Cullen brought over a chair and he accepted it gracefully whilst screaming on the inside. When the meeting concluded, he hightailed it out of the war room, entirely too aware of the look Leliana had been giving him whenever attention had been focused on him. Of course she probably knew already, it was her job to be aware of all the comings and goings in the Inquisition, especially the ones involving the Inquisitor himself. His other advisors’ comments had probably allowed her to piece together the previous night's events, if she hadn’t figured it out when she had seen Bull leaving his quarters. He still wanted to pretend it was a secret. Ignorance is bliss.

He shook the thoughts free from his mind and focused on the task at hand: Speaking with his inner circle in order to avoid the pile of work on his desk. It wasn’t like he would have gotten much done, anyways, as late as it was, and his friends would be a welcome distraction from all the shit going on in his mind. Varric and Dorian both noticed his discomfort but only made passing comments, Solas asking specific questions about the location of the pain that put him on edge. Vivienne, however, fretted over him like a child and scolded him for not taking care of himself. That had been comforting, like being reminded of his mother or aunts, but the pain persisted nonetheless.

Halfway through his rounds he realized that he was saving the tavern for last. He couldn’t tell if it was trying to avoid Bull until he got his wits together, or if he was talking to everyone to avoid someone interrupting them in the conversation they were sure to be having (“conversation”, sure). Perhaps a bit of both. Either way, after speaking with Blackwall and removing some work from the Commander’s own workload, he stayed on the battlements to enter the tavern from the top level. He had a quick conversation with Cole before he walked to the second level to spend some time with Sera.

“Morning, Quizzy! Rhizzy? Quizzy-Rhizzy!” Sera greeted him boisterously and he grinned as he sat down with her. “Well, ‘snot really morning anymore, but you woke up reeeeeal late today, huh? Sure you had tons of fun, so I won’t dog ya.”

Well, shit. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Not foolin’ anyone like that. Anyways, wonder how you’re walking?” She looked at his odd sitting position and snorted. “I mean, barely, but it’s something, innit? You might've stayed in longer, though. Maybe it’d hurt less, yeah?”

“How-.”

He didn’t even get to ask. “Bull’s had this smug lil’ grin on ‘is face all day, and Krem’s been teasing, but he hasn’t even talked about it much at all. Pretty sure he’d only be like that if he figured his partner’d want some privacy. Like, idunnoh, a prudey chantry mage? Some kinda public figure who don’t need everyone pokin’ in his private life? Plus, did I mention you’re walking funny?”

Rhizz smacked the back of his head against the window a few times. “Andraste guide me.”

“Don’t worry too much about it much, yeah? I’m just good at people! Leliana probably knows cause she’s Leliana, and maybe Creepy cause of it seeing in people’s heads and shite, but that’s prolly it.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? You figured all this out just because of how Bull was grinning.”

The blonde grinned. “So, you probably didn’t come to talk about that. What’s on?”

The two friends spoke for a little while, until Sera kicked him out for trying to avoid talking with Bull. He relented, seeing the sun was beginning to set and if he wanted to talk, he’d need to do it before it was gone. He made his way down the stairs, and greeted Krem like he normally would. The only difference was the onslaught of nerves, and the squinted eyes Krem was looking at him with. He could literally hear ‘Didn’t know you were into that, Your Worship’ in Krem’s own voice play in head. That was fair, though. No one would ever think, or want to think, that the last great hope for Thedas was into… that.

“Bull.”

“Boss. What's going on?” They were speaking like they normally would, but now Rhizz was experiencing a strange mix of embarrassment and excitement, which caused his thoughts to wander a bit, and he didn’t realize he wasn’t even looking at Bull’s face until Krem coughed behind him. The Inquisitor snapped himself back to attention, causing Bull to let out a hearty laugh at his expense.

“How’s your back feeling, boss?” How Bull managed to keep his voice impassive yet fix such a lecherous look onto Rhizz’s person would be amazing, had he not already been flustered just by talking to him. As it was, the gaze only served to send a wave of heat he was still not used to through his body, and the Inquisitor shifted awkwardly.

“It’s fine, thank you.” The crack in his voice reminded him of his awkward days as a pubescent in the Circle, hormone-addled with all his thoughts being processed through his groin. The experience he was going through was objectively similar. He cleared his throat, trying to buy himself some time before he had to speak again, to make sure his voice wouldn’t squeak. The Bull let his gaze cool until it was colored more with amusement than anything else, and Rhizz found his voice again.

“I’d like to talk. In private, if you don’t mind.”

Bull nodded. “Alright.”

“I’ll meet you in my quarters.” He didn’t bother to wait for a reply, turning on his heel and walking out of the tavern. He was surprised he managed it without tripping or doing something equally as embarrassing.

\-------

“So, what’s going on, boss?”

“We need to talk about what happened between us.” Having been alone long enough to calm down, the Inquisitor had managed to get his business face back on

“Oh, right. That. Sure. What’s on your mind?” Rhizz let his surprise show on his face. He had assumed that Bull, being as intuitive as he was, would know why Rhizz had called him up. It came as a shock that he couldn’t figure it out.... Or, he was feigning innocence. That was entirely possible.

“No one’s ever done that to me before.” The Inquisitor cleared his throat. “I... Enjoyed it.”

The Bull grinned. “Of course you did. Ben-Hassrath training, remember? Grew up learning how to manipulate people. If it’s a hostile target, you give them what they want.” Bull motioned his head towards the couch in Rhizz quarters, and Rhizz followed obediently. Rhiss remained standing whilst Bull adjusted himself. Once fully seated, he went on to finish the rest of his sentence. “If it’s someone you care about, you give them what they need.”

“Oh, I have a need.” Rhizz said, a cocky grin on his face. He could scarcely believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but it wasn’t like Bull wouldn’t see through his bullshit if he tried to feign indifference.

“You’re sounding a lot more cocksure than you did last night.” There was a specific tone in his voice that made Rhizz’s face feel warmer, and he scoffed in response. “Well, ground rules first, just to make sure we’re both clear.”

“Such as?”

“I will never hurt you without your permission.” Rhizz barely stopped himself from shuddering at the thought, and kept his eyes set on Bull’s. “You’ll always be safe. If you’re ever uncomfortable, or want me to stop, just say ‘katoh’ and it’s over.”

“Alright. Sounds reasonable enough to me.” His voice wavered, though, so the confidence he had been fighting to convey basically shattered.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep most of this light for a while, boss, since I’m guessing you don’t fully know your own limits yet. You don’t have to be afraid.” As Iron Bull stood up, Rhizz felt his heartbeat speed up dramatically. By the time Bull was standing over him, chests mere inches apart, he could hear the thumping in his ears. The Inquisitor suddenly found it very hard to breathe and look at Bull directly. Bull hummed, tinged with disapproval, and rested a hand on the back of Rhizz’s neck. When Rhizz still didn’t look up, he gripped the hair at the base of his head, pulling down so that Rhizz had to look into his eyes. He whimpered.

“... Unless you want to.” Rhizz didn’t even try to suppress the shudder that time, and Bull’s own smile widened in response. His voice was thick when he spoke again.

“Take me.”

“Can do.”

**Author's Note:**

> even vague references to sexual encounters Embarrass and Confuse Me. thanks for reading!


End file.
